Craig Levein appointed new Hearts boss

Craig Levein has been named as first-team manager of Hearts, the club have confirmed.

Levein, who had previously held the role of director of football at the club, succeeds Ian Cathro, who was sacked as head coach before the start of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.

Jon Daly had been tasked with overseeing first-team affairs since the start of the league campaign, but the club have moved to hand Levein a return to the Tynecastle dugout as they revamp the management structure.

A statement from chairwoman Ann Budge said: I am very pleased to be able to announce that, at the request of the board, Craig Levein has agreed to take on the role of first-team manager at the club.

He will continue to hold a seat on the board and, as such, will retain the overall responsibilities associated with the wider role of director of football.''

She added: In deciding how best to move forward, the board took into account the fact that we are facing a unique set of circumstances this year, with the first match on our home ground not coming until three months into the season.

Given this situation, we believed it was essential to call on experience.''

The 52-year-old emerged as favourite for the role amid speculation that the former Scotland boss had a heavy influence on on-field tactics during Cathro's tenure, which ended in an abrupt departure before the start of the season after just seven months in charge.

Since then, the club have made a slow start to their Premiership campaign, winning just once under Daly and losing twice, the most recent defeat being a 2-1 loss to Motherwell on Saturday.

Daly had made no secret of his desire to take on the head coach role on a full-time basis, but it is Levein who has been handed the reins for a second time after a round of interviews, with Paul Hartley and Steven Pressley also thought to be in the running.

The candidates we interviewed were, without exception, first class,'' Budge said.

However, as the interview process progressed, it became clear to the board that the ideal candidate was already with us.

Not only does Craig satisfy all of our requirements, in terms of experience and personal attributes, he also offers continuity and stability.''

Daly will take on a new role with the club, moving from his regular position as under-20s coach to a first-team remit alongside Liam Fox, Austin MacPhee and Paul Gallacher, with Andy Kirk stepping into Daly's former position